SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- It's great to be back after a long July Fourth weekend where we celebrated the birth of our nation 238 years ago! I hope each of you took some time to be with friends and family to help celebrate and reconnect with each other. We certainly had fabulous weather all weekend ... a rare occasion for Illinois this time of year!
This long weekend came on the heels of the base celebrating the kick-off to summer in a combined family picnic and Diversity Day sponsored by the 375th Force Support Squadron and hundreds of volunteers who manned the booths, cooked food and helped clean up! There were 44 corporate sponsors who gave nearly $75,000 in support to make this event happen! It was a huge team effort and took months of behind the scenes hard work. I want to thank everyone who volunteered to make this outstanding event possible for all of Team Scott and our families...thank you!
Now that we're well into July, we are also well into the big summer PCS season and the accompanying turnover in our Team Scott family. Chief Mathias and I look forward to our weekly opportunity to greet all new base personnel at the Newcomers Briefings at the Airman and Family Readiness Center. We know that you will soon see why Scott Air Force Base has been identified as one of the top Air Force installations to be stationed in the United States...there is something special here for everybody! There is so much to do and the community support is second to none!
So if you're new to the base, welcome! We hope you enjoy your time with us as we collectively "enable rapid global mobility" for our national defense. Whether you are directly providing operational airlift, air refueling or aeromedical evacuation; executing command and control of global transportation; or providing the critical infrastructure, network connectivity, supply chain, medical, personnel and policy support to our service members and their families worldwide...YOU are enabling rapid global mobility! Other installations play key parts in our defense operations, but Scott AFB plays a part in every one of them. From the very first movement to the very last, without the mobility support provided by our Team Scott members, nothing we do in the Department of Defense would be possible.
We know you will fit right in as we work to develop and support our Joint and Total Force team through bold, innovative leadership and unrivaled partnerships. We look to you to share your new ideas, fresh perspectives and best practices gleaned from prior bases so we can continue to make Scott AFB the showcase for other installations to emulate. It is our diverse population of organizations, personnel and missions that set us apart from the rest.
Whether you are PCSing in to Scott, about to say farewell en route to your next assignment, or one of the fortunate ones without a move this summer, please ensure you take time away from work with your family. Take a break to recharge your batteries. You need it and your family needs it.
Keep in mind that leave is an entitlement, but when you get to take your leave is not. That is why it is called a leave "request" and why there is such a thing as "use or lose" leave. So please plan ahead and coordinate with your unit so you can enjoy that special vacation or quiet time.
Remember, the only time you get to spend with your kids when they are young, is when they are young...you can't rewind and get that back.
In a final note about community support here at Scott AFB as it relates to our children, I am extremely pleased to pass along that last weekend at a ceremony at Mascoutah High School, Governor Quinn signed legislation into law that improves Illinois' participation in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, and removes its sunset clause.
The intent of the compact, adopted by 47 states, is to address the challenges facing children of military parents when they are required to relocate to a new school in a different state. The compact provides uniform policy in member states, addressing issues such as class placement, records transfer, extra-curricular opportunities and graduation requirements, to name a few.
Moving is tough enough on military families, but our children often bear the brunt of it all. My own children are 12 and 16 and have transferred between 6 and 9 school systems respectively, as we have PCS'd from base to base. It is nice to know that our local communities recognize the sacrifice our children make and are trying to accommodate them as best as possible.
Deb and I sincerely hope you enjoy your time here at Scott AFB and we look forward to the opportunity to meet as many of you as we can. We are excited to be partnering with you on Team Scott. Have a safe and enjoyable summer!